I was wondering if any of you experienced letterboxers could help in this heat please. If this weather continues finding it a bit too hot with the kids to venture too far into the open moors at the moment. Can anyone advise on any river / wooded shortish walks that may be suitable for letterboxing in this weather where it is shady. There doesn't have to be loads of boxes to hunt for - 5 - 10 would be fine or approx 2-3 hrs in length.
pm me if you have any suggestions that you dont want to post on here as can understande that a nice quite walk could turn into the masses looking for shelter.
Keep searching in the heat!

Hi, only walk I know that's in a bit of shade by a river is the Old Belstone Charity walk - It goes down to the ford below Halstock, then follows the river up to Scary tor. Not much shade after that though.

47399 - 47411 Old Belstone. There are twelve stamps and a ‘thank you stamp’ (which will normally be back at the Village Hall). The stamps show features (mostly buildings) within the parish which, for one reason or another, are no longer in existence. The four mile circular walk goes from Belstone village onto the moor at Watchet Hill, down to and along the East Okement River between Halstock Ford and Cullever Steps, across the western slopes of Belstone Tor to Tors End, then down into the Taw valley and back to Belstone. It is a family-friendly walk with some rough bits of walking among the granite rocks. For a clue sheet please send an SAE and a cheque for £2.50 made out to “Belstone Village Hall” to Little Gables, Belstone, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1RD.

How about parking Norsworthy Bridge (568 693) at the end of Burrator. Its a shady walk out towards Cuckoo Rock and the Potato cave in the Deancombe valley there. You could venture out further to Combeshead Tor. I'd hope you'd find at least 4 or 5 boxes out there!

Dartcom's weather station (www.dartcom.co.uk) suggests a slightly cooler day today on the moors - just 23 degrees (compared to 25 yesterday!) and now thunderstorms are predicted for early next week.

whoisthechallenger wrote:How about parking Norsworthy Bridge (568 693) at the end of Burrator. Its a shady walk out towards Cuckoo Rock and the Potato cave in the Deancombe valley there. You could venture out further to Combeshead Tor. I'd hope you'd find at least 4 or 5 boxes out there!

Dartcom's weather station (www.dartcom.co.uk) suggests a slightly cooler day today on the moors - just 23 degrees (compared to 25 yesterday!) and now thunderstorms are predicted for early next week.

If walking here though you really must spray yourself in Jungle Formula or something similar. I went out there last Saturday and got absolutely eaten alive, which wasn't very pleasant, although the walk itself was lovely.

next target 2000 - hopefully some time in 2010 (ha, ha, make that 2013)
Tina

Are you sure about those handful of boxes if one is scavenging? I walk my dogs there fairly often and never found anything along that bridleway on this side of the farm ruins. Just the odd one in between the boulders at the bottom of Cuckoo rock, but that will be bracken hell right now.

There are of course people with a much keener eye then I have. Clues will of course also help.

thanks guys for the suggestions and tips and will bear in mind if the weather stays as it is.
With regards the Norsworthy Bridge walk this is our favourite walk on the moors, and where we first experienced the beauty of both dartmoor and letterboxing.
Our walk consists of parking at norsworthy bridge and folowing the track past the ruins on the left and right with middleworth plantation on the right. We continue towards cuckoo rock but keep it on our left heading towards the top of narrator brook. This is normally our lunch area (cuckoo rock is on our right looking towards the reservoir) and where we found our first box. We then cross narrator book and returning through roughtor plantation, crossing narrator brook again and rejoining the main pathway back to norsworthy bridge.
lovely walk and we have deviated on occassions to the tors / rocks as we pass and found roughly 12 boxes in these areas.
Thanks as always